Decide On Dach<\/p>\n
Four years ago, the Canadiens made a splash on the trade front at the draft they were hosting.\u00a0 In a pair of swaps, they moved defenseman Alexander Romanov<\/a> and a pair of draft picks to land Kirby Dach<\/a> from Chicago.\u00a0 The hope was that a change of scenery could help him live up to his potential, once viewed high enough to make him the third-overall pick in 2019.\u00a0 With Montreal needing center help, he could have filled that need.\u00a0 He was signed to a four-year bridge deal of sorts, a vote of confidence from management.<\/p>\n But the move hasn\u2019t worked out as planned.\u00a0 While Dach has shown flashes of impressive play, it has been surrounded by inconsistency and injuries.\u00a0 Over his four years since the trade, he has played in 154 games (potting 32 goals and 45 assists) while missing 174 due to injuries.\u00a0 When healthy, he has been more of a third liner and missing just over 53% of the team\u2019s games means he hasn\u2019t lived up to expectations.<\/p>\n Now, the Canadiens have a decision to make.\u00a0 Do they tender him a $4MM qualifying offer and run the risk of him filing for arbitration?\u00a0 Do they try to work out a deal beforehand or do a multi-year pact?\u00a0 Or, do they look to try to move him, further weakening their depth down the middle?\u00a0 Based on how things went for him this past season, none of those options are particularly desirable but one way or the other, they\u2019ll have to at least pick a direction soon.<\/p>\n Work On Demidov Extension<\/p>\n For the most part, Montreal\u2019s management group has been proactive in terms of trying to sign its core players to long-term contracts.\u00a0 Lane Hutson<\/a> was the most recent example of that.\u00a0 While talks over the summer went nowhere, they got an eight-year pact across the finish line during the regular season.<\/p>\n But how much would a deal like that cost?\u00a0 The 2024 fifth-overall pick led all rookies in points this past season with 19 goals and 43 assists in 82 games but there\u2019s an expectation on both sides that he has another gear to get to.\u00a0 As is always the case in these types of discussions, those expectations are factored into the price tag, making things a little riskier for both sides.\u00a0 On top of that, the projected bigger increases to the salary cap are making price tags spike.\u00a0 AFP Analytics projects<\/a> that a seven-year extension for Demidov could check in around $8.3MM per season.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be shocking for Montreal to push for an eighth year which could push the price point more towards the $9MM mark.\u00a0 While they play different positions, would they use Hutson\u2019s new $8.85MM AAV as a ceiling for Demidov?<\/p>\n With Demidov having another full season on his contract, this isn\u2019t a must-accomplish item this summer.\u00a0 But if they want to work out a true max-term eight-year deal, they only have until mid-September to get it done.\u00a0 It took Hutson a few days into the regular season to get his eight-year extension in place last year but if the Canadiens and Demidov want to do the same, they\u2019ll have to work something out a little earlier than that.<\/p>\n Add A Second-Line Forward<\/p>\n For years, there has been a consistent need in Montreal.\u00a0 They have Nick Suzuki<\/a> anchoring their center group and he\u2019s coming off a 101-point year but they need that second center.\u00a0 It\u2019s not going to be Dach.\u00a0 Alex Newhook<\/a> seems to fit better on the wing than down the middle.\u00a0 Oliver Kapanen<\/a> had some success with Demidov during the regular season but when the playoffs came around, he was a regular in the press box with Jake Evans<\/a> spending a lot of time on the second line.\u00a0 Considering that he\u2019s a checking center, it\u2019s safe to say that need still exists.<\/p>\n The problem, as has been the case for several years now, is that demand for a top-six center greatly outweighs the supply of them.\u00a0 Further adding to that challenge is that there isn\u2019t really a top-six pivot available in free agency.\u00a0 Maybe Claude Giroux<\/a> would fit on a one-year deal if he doesn\u2019t stay in Ottawa but pickings are slim.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the trade prices for those available are justifiably steep.\u00a0 If one becomes available at a price Montreal is okay with, that would solve the problem.\u00a0 But odds being odds, there\u2019s a better chance it doesn\u2019t happen than it does.<\/p>\n While a second-line winger isn\u2019t as good of a fit as a center, that might be the easier way to upgrade the top six.\u00a0 That winger could fit on the first line and either shift Cole Caufield<\/a> or Juraj Slafkovsky<\/a> (who played well with Demidov at times in 2025-26) down, giving Demidov an upgraded linemate while opening up some options for the coaching staff.\u00a0 We\u2019ve seen them linked to Toronto\u2019s Matthew Knies<\/a>; a move like that is an example of what could work.\u00a0 While that would leave them a little thin down the middle still, having two strong wingers mitigates that somewhat while they hope for Michael Hage<\/a> to be ready to join the team late next season.<\/p>\n The UFA pool isn\u2019t particularly deep here either but generally speaking, the supply of wingers on the trade market is greater than centers.\u00a0 The acquisition cost will still be steep \u2013 especially with the prices being paid in recent days \u2013 but an imperfect upgrade is still an upgrade.\u00a0 For now, the backup plan might be more realistic to try to accomplish.<\/p>\n Upgrade The Right Side Again<\/p>\n Two years ago, Montreal moved a younger defenseman in Justin Barron<\/a> to pick up an upgrade on the right side on the back end, acquiring veteran Alexandre Carrier<\/a> from Nashville.\u00a0 Then, at the draft last year, they moved two first-round picks and Emil Heineman<\/a> to the Islanders to pick up Dobson.\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot of work to upgrade that side.\u00a0 It might not be done quite yet.<\/p>\n Those two were the only right-shot defenders on the roster for most of the season, resulting in several different rearguards shifting to their off-side.\u00a0 It was Hutson at times, sometimes Kaiden Guhle<\/a>, and sometimes depth blueliners Jayden Struble<\/a> and Arber Xhekaj<\/a>.\u00a0 Predictably, the results were inconsistent.\u00a0 Hutson fared the best among them but he wasn\u2019t at the level he is on his natural side.\u00a0 Shifting him back to the right shouldn\u2019t be their preferred strategy moving forward.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/USATSI_27406500-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Now, they face another contract discussion of similar magnitude with winger Ivan Demidov<\/a>.\u00a0 Since the Canadiens burned the first year of his entry-level deal at the end of the 2024-25 campaign (plus their playoff appearance), he\u2019s now set to enter the final season of that pact in 2026-27.\u00a0 That means he\u2019s eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1st.\u00a0 Both Demidov and management have expressed a willingness to get something done on that front this summer.<\/p>\n